Recently, most of consumer electronics such as television sets and mobile devices such as mobile phones have a communication function such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and Ethernet (registered trademark). As such, development has been actively performed on apparatus co-operation networks for allowing such apparatuses to exert their functions in a co-operated manner.
Furthermore, with increase in environmental consciousness, power-source management networks for realizing visualization of electric power consumption of each of consumer electronics and home energy management systems (HEMS) for managing activation states have been increasingly introduced in recent home network systems.
For this reason, it is assumed that future consumer electronics are connected to at least two networks that are an apparatus co-operation network connected for network AV control and a power source management network connected for power saving etc.
In addition, apparatus co-operation network systems in which high-function mobile terminals such as smart phones having a wireless LAN function are used as controllers have appeared in network AV control for television sets, recorders etc. representing DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance). In this case, such mobile terminals are connected to apparatus co-operation networks and control the television sets and recorders in the networks. Accordingly, the users can reproduce an arbitrary content from an arbitrary apparatus by operating their mobile terminals.
In such apparatus co-operation network systems, IP-based communication techniques are mainly used. For this reason, in most cases, such an apparatus need to be in a state for interpreting at least the IP protocol. However, in terms of electric power consumption, it is undesirable that such apparatuses are always in an activated state for interpreting the IP protocol. For this reason, a problem may occur when such apparatuses are used. For example, when the power source of a television receiver is turned OFF or the television receiver is in a state of waiting at a level that does not allow interpretation of the IP protocol, the television receiver cannot at all be controlled using a mobile terminal.
In view of such a problem, a technique is disclosed in which a server apparatus monitors a message to apparatuses in a sleep state in a home network, responds to the message in proxy of the sleeping apparatuses, and activates the sleeping apparatuses (for example, see Patent Literature 1). In this way, it is possible to start control of the target apparatuses utilizing the apparatus co-operation network without requiring the users to take trouble to activate the target apparatuses that are not yet completely activated.